Improving Quality of Care for Adults with Developmental Disabilities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 31, 2018

info@cotainspires.ca

To Provide Safe, Effective and Age-Appropriate Services for Transitional-Aged Youth

Toronto, ON: When a child with a developmental disability is placed into a privately-operated residential care agency by a Toronto-based Children’s Aid Society, that agency is expected to adhere to the compliance requirements for the Children’s Services sector

After the child transitions to adulthood, he or she often continues to reside at the same agency. That agency has not been obligated to meet the compliance requirements of the Adult Developmental Services sector, even though it is now supporting an adult client. Consequently, these adult clients generally do not access age-appropriate services to meet their unique needs after they transition into adulthood.

In the past, the Ministry of Community and Social Services (MCSS) was responsible for the financial management and oversight of services for these transitional-aged youth after they transitioned out of the care of a Toronto-based Children’s Aid Society. When Cota assumed responsibility for administering and managing the funding of these services in November 2017, we began coaching and educating the agencies about the legislative requirements associated with the Adult Developmental Services Sector (including the regulation known as Quality Assurance Measures – QAM). Once the privately-operated agencies have had sufficient time to meet the compliance requirements, Cota will conduct compliance audits with individual agencies to ensure that all relevant requirements have been successfully achieved.

QAM compliant agencies will then ensure that each residential setting provides safe, effective, and age-appropriate services for these young adults.

Working with Kennedy House to Improve Quality of Care

Kennedy House is an agency that recently participated in the QAM compliance process with Cota. Dianne Scarcello (QAM Compliance Officer) supported Tina Kasapakis (Case Manager at Kennedy House) and her team throughout the QAM compliance process.

Tina Kasapakis reports that,

Dianne showed us areas that we could make stronger and also showed us what we were doing right. With her guidance and support, we had our final QAM compliance review and passed with great feedback.

Tina Kasapakis (Kennedy House)

Cota looks forward to improving the quality of care for young adults with developmental disabilities across southern Ontario as they transition out of the care of Toronto-based Children’s Aid Societies.